By COREY NOLES
Statesman Staff Writer
A Dexter woman was jailed for being in possession of methamphetamine precursors after a suspicious vehicle report alerted officers to the site.
Carlotta Rene Diebold, 43, has been arrested and charged with the Class C felony of possession of a chemical with intent to manufacture marijuana.
On Monday, April 7, a phone call was received at the Dexter Police Department at 9:22 a.m. The individual stated he had been seeing a white Toyota Camry at ABC Storage at 915 Smith for almost two weeks.
The reporting party was concerned that there might be people living in a storage unit.
Officer Tony Pullum arrived at the facility, with an additional officer, shortly after the call was received. He located the white Camry and was met by Carly Bromley and Carlotta Diebold. Bromley was standing by the vehicle and Diebold was inside the storage unit.
When asked what they were doing, Bromley allegedly replied "just getting rid of stuff out of storage." Diebold said the same.
Diebold told Pullum that the unit was rented by she and her ex-boyfriend.
Because Diebold and Bromley were acting erratically, Pullum requested permission to search the vehicle. Nothing illegal was discovered within the car. He did add that the car was in disarray, filled with houseware and personal items.
Pullum speculated that the vehicle was possibly being lived in.
At that point, the officer was granted permission to search the storage unit. During the search, the officers located a basket filled with used needles and a used glass pipe that appeared to contain "illegal drug residue."
Diebold then told the officers, after they asked, that there could possibly be something illegal in a gray plastic tote on the floor.
She stated the tote contained items that allegedly belonged to her ex-boyfriend.
Inside the tote, officers discovered Coleman lantern fuel, a zipper pouch with a cold compress which had been torn open, a can of Draino, a bottle of Rooto professional drain cleaner and coffee filters.
All of the above items are considered chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine. The SEMO Drug Task Force was called in to retrieve the items due to the "volatile mixture of chemicals."
Diebold was placed under arrest and eventually transported to the Stoddard County Jail. Judge Joe Z. Satterfield set her bond at $10,000 allowing for 10 percent cash or surety.